Angantýr Arngrímsson is one of the male characters from the same line in Norse mythology, and who appears in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Gesta Danorum and Faroese ballards.
Plot[]
Angantýr's father, Arngrímr, had given him the magic dwarven sword Tyrfingr, which cut through anything as if through cloth, and which killed a man every time it was unsheathed. He was the tallest of the twelve sons of the berserkr Arngrímr, and he and his eleven brothers spread fear and destruction through the North.
One Jól, they were back home on Bolmsö when the next eldest son Hjörvarðr, swore that he would win Ingibjörg, the daughter of Yngvi, the king of Sweden.
The twelve brothers departed for Uppsalir and Hjörvarðr proposed to Ingibjörg. However then Hjálmarr, one of the Swedish king's champions, stepped forth and claimed he deserved the princess rather than a berserker.
The Swedish king, who feared opposing twelve uncontrollable and infamous berserkers in his hall, suggested that Ingibjörg herself should decide. Naturally, she chose Hjálmarr, and Hjörvarðr was besides himself with rage. He challenged Hjálmarr to a duel on Samsø and declared that Hjálmarr would lose his honor if he did not turn up.
When the twelve brothers arrived on Samsø, they started to go berserk. They bit their shields, screamed loud and coarsely and let themselves loose on Hjálmarr and Örvar-Oddr's crewmen and began to cut them to pieces.
Hjálmarr and Örvar-Oddr arrived to the scene to find their crew slain and Örvar-Oddr, with only his club, slew Angantýr's eleven brothers. After the melee, he found Angantýr dead and Hjálmarr mortally wounded by the cursed sword, Tyrfingr.
Örvar-Oddr buried the twelve brothers in barrows on Samsø together with the cursed sword, so that it would no longer cause any harm. However Angantýr's daughter Hervör would later return and claim Tyrfingr as her own.
Videos[]
References[]
- Henrikson, Alf. (1998). Stora mytologiska uppslagsboken.
External links[]
- The Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus on Angantyr
- Tunstall's translation of the battle, from Orvar-Odd's saga
| Heroes in Norse mythology | |
|---|---|
| Angantýr Arngrímsson • Arngrímr • Áslaug • Bjǫrn Járnsíða • Bǫðvarr Bjarki • Egill • Erpr • Gjúki • Guðmundr • Hagbarðr • Haki • Hamðir • Heiðrekr • Helgi Haddingjaskati • Helgi Hundingsbane • Hervǫr Angantýsdóttir • Hervǫr Heiðreksdóttir • Hildólfr • Hjálmarr and Ingibjǫrg • Hlǫðr • Hrólfr Kraki • Hǫðbroddr • Karl Hundason • Níðuðr • Palnatóki • Ragnarr Loðbrók • Ring II • Rerir • Sigi • Sigmundr • Signý • Sigurðr • Sigurðr Hjort • Sinfjǫtli • Starkaðr • Styrbjǫrn Sterki • Svafrlami • Svanhildr • Svipdagr • Sæmingr • Sǫrli • Vésteinn • Víkarr • Vikingr • Vǫlsungr • Yrsa • Þiðrekr af Bern • Ǫrvar-Oddr | |